July Vacation Day 7 & 8

Yesterday was day 7 and we did nothing.  It was heaven.  We had planned to go hiking but both of us just didn't want to, so we stayed here in this amazing house with the doors open, listening to the creek, reading books, snacking and just enjoying the day.  I slept quite a bit as well.  It was heaven.

Today we did leave the house and it was also a great day.  We woke up around 9, got ready, ate some breakfast, and headed to Ft Mtn State Park.   We did the Stone Wall, Stone Tower, and West Overlook trail; which is about 1.5 miles.  It was a nice trail; with lots of steps.  We were a little bummed the tower was closed and we couldn't go up in it but there were some nice views along the way.  There were also snails, huge snails!  I got a video - they were so cool.    We then headed down toward the lake area and ate a picnic looking over the water.

Across from the picnic area, we noticed another trail across the street - Big Rock Nature Trail.  It was only .5 mile but I'm so glad we did it.  A good portion of it was along this gorgeous cascading waterfall that was just so much fun.   It was the highlight of the park by far!   There was a family playing in the water and enjoying the day.   I have to admit I was tempted to put a toe in... if I didn't want to deal with wet feet again like the other day I would have.   It looked like fun.

After finishing our hike we headed back to the cabin, got cleaned up and rested a bit before heading to Ellijay where we met Shannon and Bradley for dinner.  We ate at a restaurant callted the Roof and after a rocky start it was really great.    At first I wanted to sit outside; it's the whole reason we went, but they don't have the awnings like it advertised so we would have been in teh direct sun for the entire meal, which would have been horrible.  I asked to be moved to a table in the shade, but they would not move us due to it being a 6 top vs. 4.   I then asked to be moved inside and the hostess said "let me ask teh server if they are ok with it' to which I replied "I move in or I leave... those ar your options."  We moved in and the waitresses had a little drama over our table, which I shouldn't have seen but did.   We go ta new waitress (our old one didn't want us) and after that everything improved greatly.  The food was excellent, I ate all of it and the company was better.  

We then walked down for some icecream, meadered around the town a bit and visited.   At the end Shannon and Bradley followed us to the house and we played cards adn visited some more.  I introduced them to Spades-Z because I still refuse to call it spades :)

Tomorrow is check out day... :( Sad, I could spend another week here, but life calls.  It's been a really nice relaxing vacation. 

July Vacation - Day 6

Today was largely a travel and rest day.  We got up, packed the car, and headed to Huddle House where we had breakfast with Donald and Sherri.   We then headed south to Old Fort TN to take a peek at some property.   It was not for us; way too hilly with a lot of unusable land.   We then headed to the cabin and got here around 3.   I'm not feeling 100%; some type of sinus junk or cold; I had taken some medicine earlier in the day and by the time we go to the cabin all I wanted to do was sleep.

So... I took an hour and a half nap which was very nice.  The cabin itself is amazing.  It is actually a house, not a cabin and it is breathtaking.  Open floor plan, amazing bathrooms, quartz counters, and screen doors that open right onto a bubbling creek.   I'm sitting here now with the doors open listening to the water rush by - it's AMAZING.

After my nap, we headed to Ellijay, which is about a 30-minute trek and got groceries for the week.  Next week we are starting a plan to get a bit healthier so we bought all the junk food for the remainder of our vacation :)   I think we may go back into town Friday and walk around a bit as it looked cute. Once we got the groceries we came back to our oasis.

We made hotdogs, and macaroni and ate it with some chips out on the deck.  After that, we lit the tiki torches and just chilled... I could get used to this.  I don't think I'd like to live where it's a 30-minute trek to the store, but the water, the beauty... yea I could get used to that :)

Time for some Nyquil and sleep.   May God bless you my blogging friends; sleep well.

July Vacation - Day 5 - Independence Day

We celebrated the 4th with nature and family and it was great.   Jack and I got up this morning, early, and headed to Dog Creek Falls over near Cumberland Falls.    We stopped along the way to grab breakfast at the Huddle House and let me just say they have upped their game.   They are much better than the Waffle House with a much broader menu; I was impressed.    After breakfast, we continued onto the falls.   I'm so grateful for All Trails and Google Maps because I never would have found it.  It's off on this dirt road in the middle of nowhere!

All Trails said the bridge to the trail was damaged and you could walk across the rocks; what they didn't say is that to walk across the rocks your feet would get wet.   I took my shoes off and went across.  Jack was standing on the other side and asked if I just wanted to go to Cumberland.  My answer as I was drying off my feet with my socks - No, come on.  So he went back to the car, grabbed the blanket to dry or feet with, and over the water he came.  The water was cold, but not too bad, and honestly, it just added to the adventure.  

We hiked to the falls; for about an hour 1/2 with some strenuous/slippery parts.  It was a beautiful, day and the woods kept it fairly cool  Magnolia trees were blooming everywhere and it was serene; we could hear water almost the entire trail in some fashion or another.

The falls themselves were cool with these gigantic rocks you could climb on and a nice cave-like thing to the side.   There was a pool at the bottom and several folks were swimming.   Jack and I meandered down a bit to a quiet spot with rocks and water rapids to chill.  We drank some water, ate a fruit strip, and I took my shoes off and walked on some rocks to see further out.  It was cool.  I didn't really see anything impressive by taking my shoes off and getting my feet wet, but I can say I did it.

We then headed back.   We ended up going back on a lower trail which was cool as we got to see some different scenery.   I'll say by this time we were both ready to get back.  I was sweating in the unmentionable places women do, I had to pea, Jack's shirt apparently soured in the wash and we didn't know it til he got sweaty ... so we were ready to see that car.   But it was a really good hike and I'm grateful we did it.

Once in the car, we headed back to Donald's.  We saw a Dollar General not too far from the falls and I bought Jack a shirt, some ugly yoga pants, and underwear, and both of us changed in the car.  I was dry and comfortable and Jack's shirt is in a plastic bag to hide the awful smell.   I have a picture of these yellow and pink pants  - they were the only ones they had other than camo.   I honestly didn't care, I just wanted to be dry...

We then stopped for gas and ate lunch at Wendy's before coming back to Donald's for a shower and a nap.  

After some rest, the 4 of us took a drive down a gravel road to see the river and just explore the area.   It was really pretty and peaceful.   We came back, ate some Spaghetti, and went to downtown Jelico to watch the fireworks.   They were nice; better than I expected for a small town.   We then got into some traffic coming home trying to leave the town... and by traffic I mean we had to stop for maybe 3 minutes to let some people out.... these people would die in Atlanta or even Grovetown.   

Now we rest.  Tomorrow we are heading to part two of our trip at the cabin in N. GA.   Until then :)

July Vacation Day 4

 Today was a good day.  We got up and Donald cooked us bacon, eggs, and toast - I could get used to being waited on :)  We then hopped on the 4-wheelers and road up through the woods.   The wildflowers were blooming so pretty.  We rode up to an old homesite with a family cemetery and relaxed for a bit.  It started a small rain shower so we waited it out under the pavilion and then headed back down, stopping along the way for me to take some flower pictures.  I like the 4-wheelers when we were going slow, like 10-15 miles an hour; when Jack started going faster than that or when we were going downhill my anxiety would spike a bit and I'd try to brake on his tummy; it was funny.

Part way down we stopped at a wildflower field and Sherry was pulling the flowers to try to get them to plant in her garden.  I stand by the leave nothing take nothing philosophy but that was falling on deaf ears.   Donald's 4-wheeler started leaking gas and wouldn't crank so we decided to tow it back using a rope he had brought... that did not go well.  The brakes were locking up on his and it was just bad... so we stopped and Donald left in the other 4-wheeler to go get the truck.

Sherry, Jack, and I stayed and waited for him to come back.  A few minutes later a neighbor drove up; someone Sherry knew and Sherry and I hopped a ride back home while Jack waited with the 4 - wheeler.  I think Sherry knows everyone up here.   He drove about 50 miles an hour down the mountain and I pretty much hid my face and tried not to panic while they chatted.   He never really spoke to me, but he asked her who I was and then said yea I knew I hadn't seen her before...   I'm sitting right there, it's ok to speak to me.  But ah well, I was just grateful for the ride home.

As we got home Donald was pulling out with the trailer to go get Jack.   They made it home not to long after, we ate some sandwiches and I took a nap.

When I woke up Jack had fixed the 4- wheeler or was very close to having it fixed. He finished up and we went to Indian Falls State Park and did a short .75 trail around a pond.  It was nice, but even at 6 o'clock at night it was plum hot!    Jack and I plan to go hiking tomorrow but I'm getting a super early start; this heat is no joke.

After our walk, we came home, had steaks, played some cards, and relaxed on the porch.  Overall a really good day!    

July Vacation Day 1- 3

Good evening, I haven't written a journal for this trip and started not to do one tonight, but I know I will regret it if I don't.  My memory is a fleeting thing and having a journal to refer back to is nice.

Day 1, 6/30/23

So Friday Jack was off, but I had to work til noon.  He got out of the shower and had his glasses broke when he went to put them on, so he spent the morning getting new frames and packing.  I had a client meeting and by 1 we were in the car and headed out.

We had a fairly uneventful drive, though the traffic was bad in a few spots.  Holiday weekend, rain, and Atlanta does not make the best combination, but it could have been worse.  We got to Cleveland TN around 6 PM and had dinner at Smokey Bones before heading over to see Brian.

Brian and his wife bought a new place in Cleveland a bit ago so after eating we stopped by to see it and just visit for a bit.  It's a beautiful piece of property.  They also have 3 dogs that are friendly and shed a lot!  I looked like a dog by the time  I left, but the pets were nice and lint rollers are standard carry for us with the cats.  

We then headed to Donald's but we took a detour to look at some land in Decatur TN.   Not for us, but it was a nice little side trip.   We finally made it to Donald's around 11:15 - I thought I might die on some of the roads coming this way.  Sheer drop-offs, at night, and Jack was driving.  I have control issues and don't do well when others drive a lot of the time - it was harrowing, to say the least, and I may or may not have pinched the seat with my rear end a few times. :)   But we made it.

Day 2, Saturday 7/1

We woke up around 9ish and Sherry cooked breakfast.  We had eggs, sausage, gravy, and biscuits.   True southern breakfast.  Don't plan to lose weight up here, that is for sure!  We then drove down to Jericho and walked around the little vendor fair they have, and went into a hardware store that has a museum.   Now, when I say it has a museum...   Donald went in and asked the owner if he would open it as it is closed.  It was a room over to the side, well really a very large size of a storefront with an upstairs with a bunch of old stuff.  It had been closed up and had that smell.  I'm not really a history person, but it would have been interesting if you were.   They did however have a resident cat that needed some good pets.

After that, we meandered down the street a bit.  I had my camera hanging off of me and some guy asked if I'd take his picture.  Odd, but ok...  We continued on.  It was an enjoyable morning of strolling, letting Donald share his town and just being.   No stress, just being.   We did get a homemade lemonade from the stand which was good.

We then drove up over the interstate and pulled off this section that has a great view of the valley.  We sat on the wall and took some pictures.     It wasn't on the interstate, but a section of road right off of the exit ramp you can pull off onto.  The view was amazing and you could see Donald's house down in the valley.

Donald then took me (Jack stayed at his house) down to a neighbor's.  He filled up spring water in water jugs from her spring pump.  She lets them for free and apparently, it taste amazing :) The neighbor also showed me their fish pond.  This woman came out, without us calling ahead, and greeted us. Not to mention giving Donald water.  She was genuinely happy (or faked it well) to see us and made it a point to feed the fish so I could see them.  They have a nice place and the fish were neat.  She has huge goldfish, brim, bass, and well... it was just cool.  But more than the pond the friendly nature of her and I guess people in general here just blows my mind.   Hint - don't show up at my house without calling first.  I need to be more like this woman, but I doubt I'll ever get there.

We then came back home and just relaxed.  I took a nap, hung out on the porch, had some burgers, and just visited.   One of their friends came for dinner and we played a version of Spade's I'm going to call Spades-EZ because to call it Spades is a front to the game, but it was fun.  Basically, the mechanics are the same with Spades being trump but you don't bid.   The first team to win 7 books wins the round and the first team to win 5 rounds wins the game.

At some point during the day we ran to the store to grab a bell pepper; it's about 10 minutes drive to the Save A Lot.   I was checking out and the man in front of me just started chatting. I assumed to the cashier but later realized he was talking to me.  He was inviting me to the cookout at the park; where they are raising money for the rescue squad.    The cashier then informed him she would be donating 10 pounds of chili the next day for it...  You wonder why I type this, but can I tell you in 42 years no one has ever randomly invited me to come to something (in a noncreepy way :) hee).  It is just how it is up here, everyone is friendly and neighborly.

Overall it was a great, relaxing day.

Day 3 - Sunday 7/2/23 

We got up this morning and headed to church.  They go to a small Church of God here.  The service was nice but not at all like what I'm used to.  They don't really have planned singing.  People choose what song they want to sing on the fly and they do performances.... it was unique.  That lasted about an hour.  Then the preaching.  He spoke for about an hour and I'm not sure he took a breath the entire time.  I know he preached on Saul,  the conversion on the Damascus road, took a detour to Noah building the ark, and ended up somewhere with Lazurus and hell.   I got lost...  2 hours after we started the service it was over and I headed outside.   Not my style, but nothing seemed unbiblical and if they are reaching people for Christ I'm all for it.  It sounds like they are doing some good outreach work and they have different style churches for a reason; so we can reach different types of people.

We then went to Mexican with Sherri's Son and his family.   The food was good.   Where we are you have to drive to Williamsburg which is about 30 minutes down the road to eat Mexican.  It's the loss of convenience with items such as this that make Jack and I question our desire for land in the country, but then we look around at the beauty... a good thing we don't have to decide today.

After lunch, we came back here and I laid down for an hour.  When I got up Sherri's Son and family were here.  Apparently, it's tradition for them to spend Sundays here visiting; they live about a mile down the road but with work, they really only see each other once a week.  A bit before 6 they went to church for the evening service, Jack, myself, and their grandson decided to stay here. 

After they left her cousin Joyce popped by to check in...just popped by.  I told her I'd let them know.  We hung out on the porch for a bit and then Jack and I decided to go for a drive.

We went to the dollar store to buy their kitten, Tiger some toys.   He is 6 weeks, if he's that, and is so sweet.  He was weaned way too early and still tries to suckle you if he gets sleepy or hungry.   It's a sweet thing though - when it isn't demon possessed trying to eat my arm.   I absolutely adore him had have played with him pretty much any and all the time.

We then decided just to drive around.  It's really pretty up here and it was nice.  We ended up on a dirt road that was really a road with a name.  I kept thinking it would connect back but apparently, it goes all the way to another town so we eventually turned around.   The nature here is gorgeous, but there is a pretty big disparity between the homes.  You will see a big fine home next to a single-wide that is not well taken care of and is full of junk, next to a double-wide that is obviously cherished and loved.   It's different... and I wonder how well the property value holds.  I wouldn't want to buy a 3000-square-foot house next to a trailer with trash strewn everywhere but it is common here.

We got back to Donald's around 8:30.   Sherry's son and family were here as well.  We ate fried green tomatoes, Donald and I played cards, I played with the cat and we basically had a quiet evening.  Family randomly visiting and eating whatever out of the fridge is weird to me but seems to be the norm here...

At 11 I came into the bedroom to do my journal and call it a night.  They were still playing chess and visiting...   

A different way of life up here...  better in many respects, but different.